Magnolia Leaves

Writing in the second half of the 19th century, Mary Weston Fordham was an African-American poet and teacher for the American Missionary Association, a Christian organization that played a major role in building schools for African-Americans following Reconstruction. Much of her poetry relates to religious and familial themes, especially the process of grieving for dead family members. She published her poetry in the collection Magnolia Leaves, which also contains a foreword by Booker T. Washington.